Nearly 1,000 Saint Lucian creatives applied for a combined EC$8.2 million under the Government’s Creative Economy Grant Fund, dramatically outstripping available resources as approximately EC$500,000 has now been distributed to successful applicants.
Minister for Creative Industries Dr. Ernest Hilaire said about 60 applicants have been contacted to receive funding, as he apologised to creatives who waited months to learn whether their proposals had been successful.
“I want to start by offering an apology to all the applicants who had to wait so long for them to finally get word on whether or not they would be receiving grants,” Hilaire said, acknowledging that those who applied early faced a particularly lengthy wait.
The Creative Economy Grant Fund was announced by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre in August 2025 with an initial allocation of EC$350,000 to help artists, cultural practitioners and creative entrepreneurs develop original work, grow businesses and expand their market reach. The original programme offered micro grants of up to EC$5,000 and production grants of up to EC$10,000.
But demand quickly overwhelmed the available funding.
Hilaire said almost 1,000 applications were eventually submitted, collectively requesting EC$8.2 million. Ministry officials then assessed the proposals using criteria including viability, innovation and the likelihood that projects could be successfully delivered.
“The Ministry sat down and they looked at all the applications and set up a criteria and scored them,” Hilaire said, noting the considerable time required to review the volume of proposals.
That assessment narrowed the pool to approximately 350 projects seeking more than EC$3 million — still significantly above the resources available.
Hilaire said he subsequently returned to the Prime Minister to seek additional funding, resulting in a commitment to allocate EC$1 million to the programme in the national budget.
However, the minister said accessing that money took additional time because the funding was being provided through an external source rather than directly from government revenue.
Although the national budget received parliamentary approval in May, documentation still had to be prepared and submitted to the funding agency before the money could be released, Hilaire explained.
The minister said the overwhelming response has strengthened his case for continued investment in the programme.
“I am going to make a case because I believe when we look at the ideas that came from you, they are powerful ideas and we need to support it,” he said.
Music dominated the applications, followed by arts and craft, film, visual arts, design, literary arts, community-based cultural projects, dance, and folk and traditional arts.
Theatre recorded the fewest applications — something Hilaire said left him “a little disappointed,” as he had hoped to see stronger representation from the sector.
While the available funding cannot satisfy the millions of dollars requested, Hilaire said the Government intends to continue supporting the creative sector and is seeking to establish the EC$1 million Creative Economy Grant Fund as an annual initiative.
